Every generation of augmented reality (AR) glasses is made possible by advances in optics, materials science, and engineering. Long before new devices reach production, researchers are exploring innovative waveguide materials, display architectures, and manufacturing techniques that could shape the future of AR. Advancing Waveguide Materials for Better AR Glasses As the AR glasses industry continues to pursue more compact, lightweight, and practical display systems, waveguide materials must advance alongside these evolving designs to support the next phase of optical ...

Unseen Reality today launched its Kickstarter campaign for URXR One, a 93-gram pair of spatial display glasses that plug into any USB-C device to place a large, sharp virtual screen in front of you. The campaign opens with a limited number of early-bird spots starting from $699, a standard campaign price of $799, and an $899 retail price after the campaign ends. URXR One is scheduled to ship in Fall 2026. “We built URXR One so spatial computing could finally disappear onto your face and run all day off the laptop you already carry,” said Edward Zho...

TDK acquired assets from OQmented to strengthen AR display technology portfolio. The acquisition adds valuable IP, engineering expertise, and MEMS-based laser beam scanning technology. Purchase supports TDK’s strategy to develop advanced, vertically integrated display solutions for future smart glasses, combining TDK’s eye intent technology, Full-color Laser Module (FCLM), MEMS mirror, and other internal TDK technologies to build a smart glass display system under TDK AIsight. TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) announces that i...

In the first half of 2026, the AR glasses industry entered a stage of accelerated commercialization. The integration of AI foundation models and near-eye display technologies has gathered momentum, with global tech giants and domestic innovators launching new products in quick succession. Capital continues to flow into core components, including optical engines and waveguides, driving the transition of AR glasses from “technical exploration” to “market cultivation”. According to TrendForce, global AR glasses shipments are projected to surpass 1 millio...

Vuzix® Corporation, a leading supplier of AI-powered smart glasses, waveguides and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, today reported its second quarter results for the three months ended June 30, 2026. "Our branded enterprise smart glasses business continues to generate revenue, customer insight and market credibility, while opening new doors for Vuzix in the smart glasses ecosystem as an OEM smart glasses, waveguides and display systems provider," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vuzix. "We delivered our initial next-ge...

Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), a leading supplier of smart glasses, waveguides and augmented reality technologies, today announced that it has received an additional smart glasses order from Augmex, a smart glasses solutions provider focused on helping enterprise customers improve productivity, training and workflow execution. The order includes Vuzix M400 and LX1 smart glasses and continues a series of orders received from Augmex since December 2024. The latest order is expected to support Augmex's launch of its solutions in the United States, as well a...

As artificial intelligence and wearables become increasingly integrated, coupled with a strong push from market leaders, global market intelligence firm TrendForce projects that global AR glasses shipments will reach a milestone of one million units in 2026. Microdisplays, as a cost-intensive key component in the system, are expected to drive the industry toward large-scale adoption through cost reductions and hardware upgrades. Meanwhile, near-eye display devices, including AR and VR glasses, have pushed the boundaries of their application scope, prompting end-market players t...

ams OSRAM delivers Q2 at guidance high end and readies microLED arrays for next-generation AR smart glasses Key Performance Update Q2/26 Revenues EUR 805 m, 16.9 % adjusted EBITDA margin, at the high end of the guidance; 14.2 % (non-adjusted) EBITDA margin +13 % year-on-year like-for-like growth of the semiconductor core portfolio at constant FX Design-wins of more than EUR 1.6 bn in semis (H1/26: approx. EUR 2.5 bn) EUR 1 bn of new senior notes at 7.25 % placed, saving annual interest cost of approx. EUR 40 m Digital P...

Rokid, a global pioneer in AI-powered smart eyewear and human-computer interaction, today launched the Rokid Glasses smart glasses in Toronto, marking the company's official entry into the North American market. Designed for everyday wear, Rokid Glasses support prescription lenses. In Canada, Rokid’s prescription lenses may qualify for reimbursement through insurance depending on individual coverage plans. To ensure the availability of high-quality lenses, Rokid has partnered with Markham-based optical supplier Ming's Optical to offer a wide range of presc...

Powering the New Galaxy Lineup Across Smartphones, Watches, and Intelligent Eyewear At Samsung Unpacked, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced that its Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, Snapdragon Wear™ Elite Platform and Snapdragon® AR1 Gen 1 will power Samsung's newest devices – including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8, Samsung Galaxy Watch9, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and the new Intelligent Eyewear. A Connected Galaxy Ecosystem Po...

Metasurfaces—ultrathin optical structures that manipulate light—have been proposed as compact alternatives to conventional lenses, mirrors, and filters. Researchers have shown that they can shape, steer, and transform light in ways that would otherwise require much larger optical systems. Yet a major challenge has limited their wider adoption: once a metasurface is fabricated, its functionality is largely fixed. Changing its optical properties often requires designing and manufacturing an entirely new device. Researchers recently demonstrated a different approach: a pr...

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced its intelligent eyewear at Galaxy Unpacked in London. Building on the announcements at the latest Google I/O, the new designs were developed with global eyewear brands, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The intelligent eyewear shows how the Galaxy ecosystem can move beyond the mobile phone and into eyewear that supports daily routines, work, travel, and hands-free moments. What’s New: Designed for everyday use, the eyewear pairs a lightweight frame and slim profile with the durability and comfort needed for daily wea...

XTI Aerospace, Inc., an aerospace and advanced technology platform and parent company of Drone Nerds, LLC, ("Drone Nerds"), a leading drone solutions platform serving commercial, enterprise and government customers, today announced the addition of the XREAL xbx a01+, a lightweight pair of augmented reality ("AR") screen-casting glasses, to Drone Nerds' product lineup. The xbx a01+ is the latest addition to Drone Nerds' XREAL product offering, providing customers with a lightweight AR glasses model designed for portable screen ca...

On June 30, South Korea’s apparel maker WONPUNG announced that it had signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Silicon Valley-based Sundiode to collaborate on next-generation hybrid bonding technologies for Micro LED displays. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Sundiode has developed a 3D vertically stacked Micro LED architecture that stacks RGB sub-pixels vertically, eliminating the individual pixel transfer process required by conventional lateral layouts. The approach enables ultra-high-resolution full-color displays within an ex...

Purchase Galaxy XR and, for a limited time, receive a Google Explorer Pack worth over £655 Samsung Electronics today releases Samsung Galaxy XR in the UK, making the country’s first Android XR device available to consumers. Built on the Android XR platform, developed by Google and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Galaxy XR introduces a new category of spatial computing experiences, combining immersive applications across productivity, entertainment and communication with intuitive voice, gesture and vision-based controls that blend digital content with t...

We’ve got some big news. For the first time, GOLF+ and The R&A are bringing an official VR Open experience to the GOLF+ TOUR. That means Royal Birkdale is live in GOLF+, and next week, players from around the world will tee it up in the VR Open alongside one of the biggest weeks in golf. And yes, we’ve got a pretty incredible prize lined up as well. <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="stric...

Magic Leap, the pioneer in augmented reality (AR) optics, has announced a strategic pivot to accelerate the development of AI display glasses. The company is shifting from building first-party devices to becoming the essential AR ecosystems partner, waveguide supplier, and device integration expert for the technology industry. Magic Leap is uniquely positioned to address the market's need for high-performance waveguides. The company’s cost-efficient manufacturing process is built for growth, while its decade-plus of deep AR expertise saves partners years of resea...

One of the sport’s most storied grounds — became something it had never been before: a digital arena. The inaugural Virtual Taekwondo (VTKD) Rome Open transformed Italy’s most prestigious sports complex into a stage for the next chapter of the sport, and the athletes who stepped onto it made history. Held alongside the World Taekwondo Grand Prix, the Rome Open brought together 19 athletes from five countries for a single-elimination tournament that drew support from every corner of the bracket, each country with their own contingent willing them forwa...

XREAL, the global leader in lightweight XR hardware development, today announced the availability of a01+, the debut product from its new sub-brand, X By XREAL. This device was created to bring big-screen AR entertainment to a wider, more mainstream audience. The X By XREAL a01+ is a purpose-built, mainstream entertainment device designed to work with the phones, laptops, and handheld consoles people already own – all without sacrificing the picture quality XREAL is known for. At just 62 grams, the glasses use dual-layer Micro-OLED displays capa...

OrthoArizona, the largest physician-led orthopedic group in the Southwest, announced that Dr. Shelden Martin has performed the first augmented reality (AR) assisted shoulder replacement surgery in Arizona. This procedure marks a significant step forward in the integration of next generation technology in shoulder surgery, bringing a new level of precision to the procedure. Dr. Shelden Martin utilized the ARVIS® Augmented Reality System by Enovis which provided real-time visual guidance directly onto the patient's anatomy. Dr. Shelden Martin of Orth...

Raven Resonance announced it will publicly preview Raven Prism™, the world's first Ambient Computer, at Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2026, taking place June 16–18 in Long Beach, California. The demonstration at Booth 1028 marks the first public showing of Raven Prism ahead of its planned commercial launch later this year. Powered by RavenOS™, the company's Linux-based operating system, Raven Prism combines the appearance of beautiful premium prescription eyewear with a standalone computing platform designed for continuous, hands-free u...

Driven by the deeper integration of AI and wearables, along with a strong push from industry leaders, global market intelligence firm TrendForce projects global AR glasses shipments to reach a record one million units in 2026. Microdisplays, a key and relatively high-cost component in these devices, will play a critical role in propelling the industry toward scale and widespread adoption through cost reductions and performance upgrades. TrendForce recently had the opportunity to conduct an in-depth interview with Dr. Cheng Gong Wang, Founder of VIJO Optoelectronics Te...

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a new collaborative initiative to develop microLED microdisplays for AR applications. The microPRO project, as it is known, includes ALLOS Semiconductors, Fraunhofer IPMS, Jabil Optics, Mimetik, Maintastic, and SUSS MicroTec. The project aims to utilize Industry 4.0 processes and prove the manufacturability of GaN-on-Siliicon based microLED displays in Germany. It will utilize the silicon-compatible manufacturing processes of GlobalFoundries and X-FAB. T...

Innovision Technology, a silicon-based Micro-LED solution provider, has officially unveiled the Chimo® P13–a monolithic polychromatic microdisplay that brings multi-color capability to a single chip. By enabling multi-color display on a single chip, the P13 effectively addresses the pain points of monochrome solutions—insufficient information hierarchy, poor alert visibility, and degraded readability in complex scenarios. The launch not only fills the industry gap for single-chip polychromatic silicon-based Micro-LED microdisplays but also marks a key milestone...

There is a simple idea at the heart of the HOE (Holographic Optical Element) AR combiner argument that often gets lost in the technical debate: AR glasses are, fundamentally, glasses first. If you hold onto that idea, the question of which optical combiner to use for AR glasses becomes much clearer. The combiner — the lens element that blends digital content into the user’s view of the real world — should start from where glasses already are: the conventional curved spectacle lens that billions of people already wear and that the industry already manufa...

Lumus is an augmented reality optics company that has been continuously developing its geometric (reflective) waveguide technology. Founded in 2000, apart from being the leading waveguide technology company for consumer AR, Lumus has over 17 years of experience developing products for the military, as well as collaborating on medical and industrial devices. The company holds 1,200 patents, including over 500 pending applications, and employs a team of 100 professionals, more than 70% of whom are scientists or engineers. TrendForce recently had the opportunity to interview Lumus&rsqu...

On June 22, a 12-inch transparent-substrate wafer facility dedicated to AR micro-nano optical products in Shanghai’s Lingang area has officially commenced operations, emerging as China’s first large-scale manufacturing base for 12-inch AR micro-nano optical wafers, according to an announcement released by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. With a total investment of approximately CNY 3.28 billion (USD 457 million), the project spans a gross floor area of 261,000 square meters, located in Shanghai Lingang’s Blue Bay Industrial Zone....

Glasses are the most exciting hardware category of the AI era — the ideal device to experience an all-day AI assistant that understands the world from your perspective. That’s why today, in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, we’re introducing Meta Glasses. Building on all the technology and features of the world’s best-selling AI glasses, this new line features bold and timeless shapes, rich colors, and premium materials, all consciously crafted and starting at just $299. A Pair for Any Look We’re launching Meta Glasses with three fram...

Established in 1996, AUO specializes in display panel R&D and production, boasting a long track record of technological expertise and innovation as a long-standing industry leader. Since the AI wave began in 2025, AUO has aggressively pursued a high-value-added product strategy focused on four main directions: AI product deployment and services, Micro LED optical communication (CPO), transparent antennas for low-orbit satellites, and optical waveguides for AR glasses. For waveguide development, instead of starting everything from scratch, AUO has strategically ...

LG Electronics USA, a leader in commercial digital display solutions, is expanding its Direct View LED (DVLED) portfolio for 2026 with the introduction of five new display solutions designed to simplify deployment while delivering premium large-format visual performance. InfoComm2026 booth #C7836 will feature the LG MAGNIT Gen 2 (LMPB), LG MAGNIT Active Micro LED (LSAH), LG MAGNIT Essential (LMEA), LG MAGNIT Essential All-in-One (LASA), and the LG MAGNIT Gen 2 AIO (LAAB). The “Essential&rd...